


because it takes one to know one

by asteronomic



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Canon Compliant, Comedy, Fluff, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Romance, There's some swearing in here, awkward gay crushes, midorima is a dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 14:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3176217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asteronomic/pseuds/asteronomic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Midorima knows he has a crush on Takao, and has no idea how to deal with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	because it takes one to know one

It hits him one morning, like a basketball to the stomach--a feeling of sudden terror, dismay and just a general _oh fuck_. However much he knows he should have seen it coming, the blow isn't softened and he's forced to take a break from practicing the piano to rest his head on the keys in distress. He's well acquainted with the feeling, but he'd never thought he'd feel this for _him_.

Midorima never thought he'd have a crush on _Takao_.

All his previous crushes have worked out to nothing, and he doesn't plan for this one to be any different. Still, it's difficult to stop noticing it once he's identified the emotion--and _really_ , he has no clue how he managed to not realise it before--and he's positive that he's going to go mad soon. He still can't believe he's done something as stupid as crushing on his best friend--arguably his _only_ friend, if you exclude the mess that is his middle school basketball team--and as much as he'd like to deny his feelings, there is sadly no other way of explaining the way he really wants nothing more than to make out with Takao.

Well, he wouldn't mind doing a little more than making out with him. Or a little less, if running his hands through the soft-looking black hair and pressing kisses to every available part of him counts as less.

At least Midorima can say that he's never had such a huge crush on anyone before. Although, he's not really sure in which universe that would count as a positive thing. Not his, that's for sure.

For once in his life, Midorima has no idea what to do--he knows he should just get over it and move on, but it's just so _difficult_ and in all honesty, he's not really sure he _wants_ to--and it's an awkward few months before Kuroko mentions something that changes nothing at all but at the same time absolutely _everything_.

It's after a practice match that he's talking to Kuroko, and his old teammate is telling him about the message Kise asked him to pass on--something about a double date or something equally frivolous sometime, and finding a partner for it--and then he adds as an afterthought the words that Midorima finds himself unable to forget.

"And of course, Takao-kun would be willing to fill that space for you."

It would be perfectly innocent it if it weren't for the fact that Kuroko is talking about a _date_ , about Midorima's partner for a double date with Kise, and he's saying _Takao_ would be _willing--_

And when he looks at Kuroko with an expression of shock and disbelief, the latter only gives him an exasperated sigh and says, "Sometimes, Midorima-kun, I wonder if you really are more oblivious than Kagami-kun."

Midorima splutters and Kuroko disappears into thin air and they all go home and it's all happy and fine except it's not because _what did Kuroko say?_ Takao would be willing to what now? Is this a joke? Is Midorima the victim of a prank? It wouldn't be the first time, but usually it's just something like taking his clothes while he showers and leaving him to rely on a towel to cover his dignity as he fixes the culprit with a lethal death glare, and it's never something that messes with his emotions, because as insufferable as Aomine and Kise are, they know when they're crossing the lines--

_But this has to be a joke, surely?_

There's no way Kuroko meant what he said the way Midorima interpreted it. There's no way Takao can see him as more than a friend. There's no way Takao likes Midorima the way Midorima likes Takao. It's just impossible. _Isn't it?_

The longer he thinks about it, the more Midorima's head hurts, so he does his best to forget it. The thoughts linger, but he tries to ignore them, and it's almost effective. Almost.

He's thinking about it one day, after a match in which Shuutoku have crushed some small school that didn't really stand a chance, and the team have all wandered off in their own directions and Midorima's just standing in the locker rooms, lost in his own thoughts. He's alone, or so he thinks, and is therefore startled when he hears the sound of a bag dropping onto the floor behind him.

Takao's voice is smooth and silky and absolutely gorgeous when he says his name, and Midorima is reminded of _just how fucking gay he is for this guy holy shit_ and it takes a second for him to actually turn around and form some sort of response.

"Takao," he says. _Good so far, no stuttering_. "Erm, hi." Fuck. _Nice one Shintarou, you just became the most awkward loser in the entire history of awkward losers._

"You okay there, Shin-chan?" Takao sniggers, and Midorima should be cursing him for being such a smug bastard, but all he can think about is the piece of hair falling in Takao's eyes and how much he wants to tuck it gently behind his ear and _shit he's in deep he's in really deep fuck it all._

He swallows and clenches and unclenches his fist behind his back, hoping that maybe, by some miracle, Takao hasn't noticed his discomfort. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you," he says primly, hoping he sounds like his usual haughty self.

"Of course you are," Takao says, and Midorima can't help but wonder just what the hell he means by that. "I wanted to speak with you earlier, but the others were around, so I had to wait. Do you have a moment?"

 _What? What is that meant to mean?_ "Yes, go ahead."

Takao sits down on a bench, and Midorima takes this as a cue to follow suit. "I really like you, Shin-chan," Takao starts, and Midorima inhales sharply as Kuroko's words come rushing back to him. "At first, I thought you were a complete dick--don't get me wrong, I still think that, but I think maybe you're also secretly a huge dork." Takao pauses. "Eh, I say secretly. You're a huge dork, and I like that. I like you, Shin-chan." 

Midorima doesn't really know what to say, because if this is a confession, Kise's romance novels are somewhat inaccurate. "Thank you? I think?"

Takao curses, and it occurs to Midorima that perhaps Takao may be a little nervous too. "I'd kind of hoped my actions would show you how I feel, because I'm not really very good at being romantic--that's more your area, I reckon--and it was easy enough to read from yours. Alas, Shin-chan isn't the most observant of people when it comes to emotions." He smirks as he says the last part, but with the rest of his words, Midorima just can't find it in himself to glare back at him. "Well, I guess I could try to show you what I mean."

When Takao leans in to kiss him, Midorima doesn't even hesitate to kiss him back.

It's not at all like Kise's romance novels. (And for the record, Midorima only knows this because Kise's always swooning about them. He certainly did not borrow them for reference.) It's awkward, and their noses bump when they initially lean in, and even when they're sitting, Takao's just a little too short and Midorima's just a little too tall.

They don't do anything but touch lips to begin with, and then Takao closes his eyes and puts his head on Midorima's shoulder, quietly closing his hand around his. "Do you understand now?"

"Yes," Midorima breathes, because he's suddenly very, very tired and really just wants to go to sleep there and then, with Takao's hair brushing against his shoulder and their hands loosely entwined. "Yes, of course."

"That's good," Takao murmurs, his warm breath tickling Midorima's skin. "I wasn't sure for a while about whether you liked me back, but then I realised that really, everyone loves me." He snickers as Midorima tells him to shut up. "And besides, Shin-chan can't keep his eyes off me when I'm changing."

"Shut _up_ , Takao," Midorima repeats. "I do not stare at you while you're changing."

"Maybe not consciously, but in all honesty, I can't blame you. I am pretty sexy, after all."

Takao laughs as Midorima tells him to shut up a third time, lifting his head up to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "It's okay, Shin-chan, I like watching me change, too. And I like watching you change."

Midorima tries to scowl, but it's not a very successful attempt. He's about to reply with something devastatingly witty and dignified when he's cut off by the sound of the door to the locker rooms opening, and someone walking in.

"Hmm? What's this?" The intruder drawls lazily as he sees the couple. "It'd seem this room is taken. Well, guess I'll find somewhere else. Congratulations, Mido-chin." 

Midorima splutters, staring at Murasakibara as he leaves the room as abruptly as he entered. Takao has started snickering, covering his mouth with his hand as he giggles. "Damn it, Shin-chan. Your friends really are huge cockblocks."

"Shut up, Takao," Midorima says for the fourth time as he puts his head in his hands. "Ugh, I can't believe Murasakibara walked in on us. Why is he even here? Most of the games ended ages ago."

"He's probably doing the same thing I was doing not too long ago," Takao says. "Looking for his lover."

Midorima tells him to shut up a fifth time, and they decide to leave the locker rooms before they're kicked out. Takao pedals the rickshaw, and they get home quicker than usual due to the minimal amount of effort they had needed to put in during the game. They hug as they part to go to their own homes, a fleeting embrace that's somehow less awkward than Midorima had been expecting.

_ _

It's not until later, when he's showered and changed and eaten and lived off the day, that he really starts thinking about what happened. He can't really get his head round the fact that he's _kissed_ Takao tonight--as awkward as the action had been, it had also been previously limited to Midorima's daydreams.

He finds himself unable to stop thinking about it--he's distracted as he's doing his homework, as he's practicing the piano, as he's reading a book, as he's playing shogi online. It's a long time until he sees Takao again--or at least, a night seems like a long time to Midorima--and he has a long time to think about it.

He's never been in a relationship before. It's always been about basketball for him; basketball and shogi, or music and medical biographies when he's not near a court or Akashi. Relationships have always been for the others--people who are good at talking, people like Kise, people who are less awkward than him, people who know how to do something as simple as kiss.

He has no idea how to have a relationship, and he's terrified of the thought of messing everything up with Takao.

Takao has so much experience, too--Midorima's known him long enough to see no less than two girlfriends and three boyfriends come and go, and he's heard about the girls in middle school, as well. Not one of them stayed more than a month by the looks of things, but that's still a hell of a lot more experience than Midorima has. He's so smooth and cool and practically the opposite of everything Midorima is, which is probably a contributing factor towards his overwhelmingly huge crush on him.

And more importantly, Midorima has absolutely no idea how kissing works.

Romance is an unfamiliar territory, to say the least. He's familiar with the concept, of course--he's done enough research and observation to have a pretty solid knowledge of what exactly romance is. However, that doesn't mean that he actually understands it--he's also come to learn that experience is key in these matters, and of course he's somewhat lacking there.

To put it bluntly, over the past half-hour of thinking and worrying, Midorima has worked himself into a desperate state.

There's only one thing he knows how to do in this situation, which is why his hand goes straight to his pocket, straight to his phone and straight to his friends' advice.

He freezes as he realises what he's doing. He has no idea who he's about to call, and he puts his phone down for a second to try to work it out.

His choice is really quite limited, he decides. He doesn't have a large amount of friends-- _unlike Takao_ , he thinks to himself--and the people he can call are really restricted to his old teammates from middle school. 

First, he considers Akashi, but that thought is banished quickly. Akashi probably has even less experience than he does--as popular as he was, Akashi never actually took anyone up on their offers of dates and relationships. He doesn't even bother to think about Aomine, whose love interests are probably limited to basketball, food and porn. Midorima thinks for a couple of seconds about calling Kuroko, but he would likely be met with nothing more than a disapproving silence. Murasakibara isn't even worth considering, leaving the insufferable Kise, who is absolutely out of the question.

Which leaves Midorima with nothing.

But hang on a second. _What am I doing? I'm Midorima Shintarou, for goodness' sake--I don't need to call anyone to tell me how to handle my love life._ Midorima glares sternly at his reflection for even considering it, and finishes rubbing moisturiser into his dry skin, a task he started around twenty-five minutes ago.

He allows his mind to wander as he buries himself in his blankets, and to no-one's surprise, the images that fill his head are of none other than Takao Kazunari. He remembers just how soft Takao's hands are--you'd think they'd be at least a little rough and damaged from the rigorous training Shutoku's basketball team is victim to, but Takao does have a tendency to be the exception to the rule--and just how silky his dark hair looks and how fucking _gorgeous_ Takao's collarbones are and Midorima does _not_ have a "thing" for collarbones but Takao's are actually _heavenly_.

The last thought Midorima has before he succumbs to sleep is that he _really_ doesn't want to mess this up.

_ _ 

He gets to school early the next morning, as he always does. As does Takao. At first glance, everything is the same. Nothing has changed.

Except everything has changed, because this time, Midorima doesn't even have the chance to place his lucky item on his desk and organise his books and pens because someone's tugging on his sleeve and pulling him back out of the classroom and _what is going on--?_

Oh. It's Takao. Takao is tugging on his sleeve and pulling him back our of the classroom and into the corridor. Takao is smiling up at him, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek that he has to reach up for, asking him why he looks so worried.

He can't hold it in any longer. He bites his cheek, but apparently to no avail as words flood out of his mouth as quickly as colour floods into his cheeks. He hears himself telling Takao about how little experience he's got and how nervous he is and he tries to stop but he _can't_ , not now he's started. He tells Takao everything, and closes his eyes as he listens to himself speak.

"And Takao, I can't--I don't know how--what I don't understand is why you like me back, I mean--" Midorima has never been aware that embarrassment is this _painful_. It prickles on his skin, making him shudder, and yet he still can't stop _talking_. "I don't even know how to kiss properly, why do you even--?"

Takao smiles at him, his expression serenely calm in comparison to Midorima's own state of mild panic. "It's okay. I already know you're a beginner at this because Shin-chan, it takes one to know one."

Midorima stares at him. "But--you've had all those girlfriends and boyfriends, you've had experience, you can't be--?"

"Sure, but I didn't really date them properly," Takao shrugs. "I'm a popular guy, Shin-chan, I was just dating them for a few weeks so they could say they'd dated a regular on the basketball team. They cleared off pretty quickly as they realised it's all about basketball for me. I didn't have any feelings for them."

"Wait, so you don't know how to--?"

"French kiss? No more than you. But I figured it's the kind of thing we can work out together, right?"

It feels as if a huge weight has just rolled off Midorima's shoulders, and he doesn't bother biting back his smile. "Yes," he laughs. "Yes, of course."

Takao starts laughing with him, and leans up to kiss Midorima's cheek in between chuckles. Midorima inclined his head a little to return the kisses as his laughter begins to calm, and he smiles as he touches his lips softly to Takao's. There are no tongues involved, and his touch is careful and slightly nervous, but it's sweet and perfect and Midorima couldn't ask for more.

Well, maybe he could. "Why didn't we work this out before?" He murmurs into Takao's hair as he's pulled into a hug. "We could've been doing this for much longer."

"We're inexperienced teenagers in our first proper, serious relationship, Shin-chan," Takao laughs. "Nothing is meant to go perfectly the first time. Besides, we have time. We can make up for that."

The bell rings all too soon, and for once Midorima just does not want to go to class. He doesn't want this to end, and he doesn't want to be parted from Takao.

But, as Takao said himself, they have time. They have classes together, they can spend lunch together, they can train together, they can walk home together. They can spend the rest of their years in high school together, and they can spend time with each other when they go to university. They have so much to achieve together, and Midorima isn't sure that this is just a crush anymore.

"We have all the time in the world, Shin-chan." 

**Author's Note:**

> this is trash whoops sorry
> 
> aLSO JAZZY DREW FANART LOOK http://nekoruk.tumblr.com/post/108179111224/if-you-like-midotaka-u-should-definitely-read
> 
> edit: fixed the double spacing thing going on with my paragraphs gdi copying the html from my tumblr has disadvantages 
> 
> however i also lost my super long spaces acting as line breaks so excuse me while i improvise with line break-y things on my phone


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